I am the youngest of three children, all of whom have made their careers in the entertainment business, and our shared childhood is pretty indicative of the choices we’ve subsequently made as professional performers.  My sister, the oldest, directed my brother and I in every version of “Cinderella” she could brainstorm and film on my mother’s old camcorder, including “Cinderella: The Musical,” “Cinderella: The One-Woman Old-Time Vaudeville Revue,” “Cinderella: The Claymation Tragedy,” and, last but not least, “Cinderella: The Stop-Motion Melodrama Starring Barbie.”  My brother wrote and performed all the music.  I was lights, props, costumer, and, when I was allowed to act, diva extraordinaire.  (I liked to keep my sister on her toes with my obnoxious yet witty ad-libs.)  Challenging and ridiculous as the process was, Do-It-Yourself  filmmaking (as well as DIY theater production, DIY neighborhood newspapers, and DIY cover performances of Barbra Streisand’s “Hello Dolly!” done entirely on roller-skates) taught me an invaluable lesson: DO IT YOURSELF.  In between community theater projects?  School’s out for the summer and no creative outlet?  No one casting in your cul-de-sac?  Make your own! Read More